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CMac Appreciation Thread

87alum87

All-Conference
Aug 28, 2009
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Dahinda, IL
Until mid way through last year, I didn't appreciate Connor very much. I didn't like the idea of him playing for his dad, because the father-son bias, either positive or negative, might be a chemistry issue for the team, or dissuade point guard recruits from considering Iowa.

But, through the the course of last year, his value to the team became obvious. Not to take from Luka or Jordan, but I think Connor plays a significant leadership role on the team, and maybe the leading player in returning swagger to the program, and setting an aggressive tone.

Listening to him in a podcast a couple of days ago, only reinforced my new appreciation for him. I even liked the "Respect his Decision" post.

He'll never play in the NBA, and I don't really know his Baseball skills, but suspect he won't play MLB, either. But, I do think he will be a young, maybe brash at times, coach who will be in high demand by the time he's in his early 30's. A coach players will love to play for.

I am not for nepotism, but I do anticipate seeing CMac on the bench in Carver several years from now. I just hope its not for a visiting team. He's a winner.
 
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31 games, 27? turnovers and around 30 mpg.

Pretty solid glue guy who doesn't need to score, perfect for this team.

Exactly. He plays the precise role that's needed on this team. I like his toughness and moxie. Anytime he's able to hit a 3 late in the shot clock is an added bonus.

It's kind of like Woodbury. Connor has a specific skill set and there will never be anything beyond that. And that's okay.
 
Until mid way through last year, I didn't appreciate Connor very much. I didn't like the idea of him playing for his dad, because the father-son bias, either positive or negative,might be a chemistry issue for the team, or dissuade point guard recruits from considering Iowa.

But, through the the course of last year, his value to the team became obvious. Not to take from Luka or Jordan, but I think Connor plays a significant leadership role on the team, and maybe the leading player in returning swagger to the program, and setting an aggressive tone.

Listening to him in a podcast a couple of days ago, only reinforced my new appreciation for him. I even liked the "Respect his Decision" post.

He'll never play in the NBA, and I don't really know his Baseball skills, but suspect he won't play MLB, either. But, I do think he will be a young, maybe brash at times, coach who will be in high demand by the time he's in his early 30's. A coach players will love to play for.

I am not for nepotism, but I do anticipate seeing CMac on the bench in Carver several years from now. I just hope its not for a visiting team. He's a winner.

Still remember watching him play on the road (MSU) as a true freshman and he looked like a deer in headlights, multiple TO's. To lead the nation in assist/to ratio only 3 years later -- simply amazing. Love the toughness he brings to our team. Kudos to Connor and the coaching staff!
 
Exactly. He plays the precise role that's needed on this team. I like his toughness and moxie. Anytime he's able to hit a 3 late in the shot clock is an added bonus.

It's kind of like Woodbury. Connor has a specific skill set and there will never be anything beyond that. And that's okay.
I agree. I think too many people overlook Woodbury's eye poking ability and frankly think that may be one weak point on this years squad.
 
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If there was a stat tracking best post passer in the nation, he’d probably be #1. He’s a great compliment for Garza.

Shot 36% from 3 in conference play last year. It’s a huge improvement that hopefully carries over going forward.
 
C Mac creates match up problems. Bigger guys have a hard time chasing him around. He's a big strong guy so your typical college guard gets banged around. I think we'll see more offense out of CMac this season. Hit a few more threes and use his size and the nice turnaround to score on smaller players.

Love the attitude. Tough kid. Good leader
 
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If there was a stat tracking best post passer in the nation, he’d probably be #1. He’s a great compliment for Garza.

Shot 36% from 3 in conference play last year. It’s a huge improvement that hopefully carries over going forward.

If Connor can be north of 30%, that's so valuable. It's not that he's going fill up 3-5 every game, it's just being a threat. The season before last, they'd just sag off him so much. At 30-something percent, they can't do that nearly as much.

Another under-appreciated skill that we'll miss this year is Kreiner in the post. He was also a really good post passer. He and Garza worked really well together.
 
Still remember watching him play on the road (MSU) as a true freshman and he looked like a deer in headlights, multiple TO's. To lead the nation in assist/to ratio only 3 years later -- simply amazing. Love the toughness he brings to our team. Kudos to Connor and the coaching staff!

He had one official TO and three assists in nineteen minutes of that game.
 
Still remember watching him play on the road (MSU) as a true freshman and he looked like a deer in headlights, multiple TO's. To lead the nation in assist/to ratio only 3 years later -- simply amazing. Love the toughness he brings to our team. Kudos to Connor and the coaching staff!

He did not play at MSU his true freshman season.
His RS freshman season he had 1 TO at MSU.
 
CMac is a player.

If he were on a poor team that struggled on O, he would be of little help. On a good team, with offensive players around him, he is a force. Toughness, leadership, passing, defense, going after loose balls, rebounding, making FT's - he is an extremely valuable player on a team that doesn't need much scoring from his position - like the 20/21 Hawks!
 
It's not just that he hit more 3 pointers this year. Like the tough minded coaches son he is, he hit them at times when they were needed. That's probably what I like most about his, and this teams game is their confidence.
 
He did not play at MSU his true freshman season.
His RS freshman season he had 1 TO at MSU.

Iowa was 4-0 when CM was a true freshman and 14-19 for the season. Three of those four were against cupcakes, but CM did contribute to beating Colorado at the Sanford Pentagon. IIRC, that was the game Fran tried Ellingson at PG and deer in headlights would be a good description.
 
31 games, 27? turnovers and around 30 mpg.

Pretty solid glue guy who doesn't need to score, perfect for this team.

Especially this season, with Jordan BoBombin back. Connor can find the open guy as well as anyone in College basketball. Plus, he is an excellent, kind of sneaky defender and rebounder.
 
One other aspect that cannot be overlooked is his toughness at the very end of games. The guy is fearless. He will do whatever he has to do to get the ball. Not afraid to get fouled and go to the line. He WANTS the ball.

Additionally, out of the regular rotation players, he was basically tied for 3rd with Kriener for Rebounds per game at about 4. He was also 2nd in steals per game.

His versatility, BBIQ, toughness and leadership are critical.

I would like to see slight improvements in FT, 3PFG and overall FG percentages.
 
One other aspect that cannot be overlooked is his toughness at the very end of games. The guy is fearless. He will do whatever he has to do to get the ball. Not afraid to get fouled and go to the line. He WANTS the ball.

Additionally, out of the regular rotation players, he was basically tied for 3rd with Kriener for Rebounds per game at about 4. He was also 2nd in steals per game.

His versatility, BBIQ, toughness and leadership are critical.

I would like to see slight improvements in FT, 3PFG and overall FG percentages.
I was surprised when I looked and his FT % was only 78% last year as I see him as a very solid guy at the line. He was one of our guys I always felt good about going to the stripe at the end of close games.
 
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